Volume 12, number 6: December 1, 2005
FUNDING TIPS
Professional Development for Young Investigators in Pharmacy
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Foundation offers support and services to help young investigators in pharmacy to develop their research skills such as:
- weekly Residency Research Tips e-mail publication;
- past tips that can be viewed on the foundation's website;
- research skills development session at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting; and
- grant programs designed for young investigators. READ MORE
Microsoft Program to Fund Research in Third World Technology Access
Microsoft recently announced that it will dedicate $1.2 million each year to funding academic researchers working on increasing technology access in developing countries. Microsoft is particularly interested in research aimed at improving network infrastructures in areas with weak network connectivity. The company is seeking novel approaches in computing technology that have the potential for great impact in a range of areas, including education, healthcare, and economic development. Microsoft has allocated 25 percent of its first group of grants to bolstering technology access in Latin America and India. READ MORE
COS Reference Databases
The Community of Science (COS) Funding Opportunities and COS Expertise databases are the most popular services, but COS offers other services that are valuable tools in specific subject areas:
- AGRICOLA contains more than 3.3 million bibliographic records of journal articles, theses, patents, software, and technical reports related to agriculture since 1979;
- GeoRef provides access to more than 2.3 million references to articles, books, maps, conference papers, reports, and theses covering the geosciences;
- MEDLINE is the world's most comprehensive source of life sciences and biomedical bibliographic information, with nearly 11 million records; and
- U.S. Patents is a comprehensive bibliographic database containing records for each of the 2.6 million U.S. patents issued since 1975.
These services provide key citation information and abstracts. MEDLINE and GeoRef records also have links to the full article texts, when they are provided online (though a subscription to the online journal is often required). MEDLINE and GeoRef feature a document delivery link to purchase the full article from a third party. Visit the COS Services webpage to find these useful reference services.
Know the Review Process
When preparing grant proposals, it is important to be familiar with the review process of the target agency. Knowing an agency's requirements will make it easier to tailor proposals to meet its needs. Federal agencies tend to use external panelists, while state agencies and foundations often rely on staff to make review decisions.
If a sponsor does not provide information about its review process on the website or in the guidelines, contact the program officer to find out more about the agency's evaluation process and criteria. READ MORE
Understanding the NIH Peer Review Process
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Center for Scientific Review (CSR) website provides resources to help researchers understand the NIH peer review process. A video of a mock study section meeting demonstrates how NIH grant applications are reviewed for scientific and technical merit. The video includes information how to improve the chances of a positive application evaluation. READ MORE
The CSR website also provides an index roster of all Regular Standing Study Sections, which are the units that review most investigator-initiated research grant (R01) proposals. The webpage lists the section's membership roster, a description of its specific research interests, and the contact information for the Scientific Review Administrator (SRA). READ MORE
COS Expertise Profile Enables More Publication Types
In response to requests from Carolina users, Community of Science (COS) has updated the publications section of the COS Expertise Profile to allow specification of more types of publications including:
- book chapters;
- books;
- journal articles;
- conference proceedings; and
- others.
COS is soliciting feedback from researchers about other types of publications to be included. Click here to take the survey. READ MORE
Prevent SPAM Filters from Blocking COS
To offer better security, the university has become more vigilant about preventing SPAM. Unfortunately, sometimes friendly communications are also blocked. To avoid missing important emails from the Community of Science (COS), such as COS Funding Alerts, include cos.com on the list of allowed email domains in your spam filters. You can also ask your IT department to include cos.com on the list of allowed email domains. If you need assistance, contact the GrantSource Library at 962-3463. Click here for more information about COS Funding Alerts.